Tim in his own words

Patrick says: "She runs as she should"

Tim's message to us:

Just to say thank you for everything.

Was good to get out on my little scoot this weekend!

I will be in touch after 500 miles for some guidance on changing the gearbox oil.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Regards,

Tim.

From the Scooter Surgery stable

Here again is Chris's 'Little Flirt' my 'Patsy' and Patrick's 'Little Lui.' Patrick and I have currently swopped scooters because, since breaking my ankle I find Patsy too heavy. I felt so happy and proud to be riding with Chris on Little Flirt, a TS1, Patrick on Patsy, kitted with the Casa 210, with myself on Little Lui; a magical little scooter kitted with a Casa 75 as we rode through Central London yesterday for Remembrance Sunday. All three scooters come from the Scooter Surgery stable.  Should anyone have captured the three girls running through town please send me the pictures.

Baby

This is Baby, a Lambretta 48. 
Allthough she was restored to showroom condition Roger (her owner) had no idea what the internals of the engine were like. She was part of a museum collection and had not been run. Roger has had a few challenges, but as you can see, he rides her around his home town.

Westaway

I am being a bit audacious and calling this little miracle 'Westaway', the name of her restorer and owner. She looks like a Westaway as in: "Go West, young man, go West. There is health in the country, and room away from our crowds of idlers and imbeciles" (Horace Greeley) - in this case, room enough to restore an old Lambretta!     

Before...

... and After

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                       

"Twist and Go"

Well readers, as promised, here is the Little Lui.  I have now done over 50 miles on her.  And wonder of wonders, Patrick is talking about putting a six plate clutch in Patsy when he gets back, so I can keep riding this little gem.

This little Lui was made in 1969 and was launched under the slogan “Lui per uno, Lui per tutti” (for one and for everyone). The aim of her launch was to attract the young rider. This did not work due to the rough ride and poor performance.  Innocenti stopped her production after 18 months. 

Innocenti could never have imagined the mobile phone, but we have them. The Little Lui does not look out of place with it. I wonder, if Patrick has unwittingly, with all the tweaking of this Little Lui, managed to develop, with the aid of new mechanical techniques that are available to do what Innocenti intended? Has he perhaps managed to give us a classic twist and go, especially in town traffic?

Lorenzo

Good morning to all our customers.  Lorenzo has sent me a better picture.  Enjoy!

Assessor Dave's White GP

Assessor Dave came in today on his GP/TS1 which is painted in a white pearlised paint. He has paid lots of attention to the detail, even the valve caps are cute. The photographs do not do her justice.

Moncho

On a previous post I told you about Moncho who travels on the back of Lorenzo's LD around London.
They both came to the shop today - here's some pictures of Moncho traveling in style.

Moncho in his limo

Yes well what are you all looking at

Moncho with Lorenzo his chauffeur

                                

A wonderful sight

What a wonderful sight this line up of scooters are! The little silver Lui is Patrick's and is at the moment his main daily transport. Since being restored she has clocked up more than 10,000 miles on the streets of London. The Model D (with light blue seats) belongs to a customer and the Starstream is one of 'Assessor' Dave's ever growing collection. since breaking my ankle my GP is too heavy for me to ride and comfortably -  so I'm looking forward to riding the light and flighty Lui while Patrick is in Italy on a stock run. Updates on how I get on to follow...

On your marks, get set, GO!!!!

All these little ladies are road running machines and were parked outside my shop together.  I can just imagine them getting ready to race!

'Assessor' Dave's GP

Christian and Dave

This is Christian and Dave - two of the loveliest guys who come to work on their scooters at Scooter Surgery. With Christian's help Dave is hoping to get his GP on the road soon.

Peter's Model D

Pete has lovingly restored his 1956 Model D.

The engine was rebuild here at Scooter Surgery.

It was an enormous pleasure to see him ride her to the Isle of Wight Scooter rally.

Tim's Christmas Tree

A common problem on the LD and D gearbox is a loose and sloppy 'christmas tree'. Basically, the three bronze bushes wear the casing away over the years and causes various unwanted rattles. Luckily our precision engineer is well used to re-making these bushes for us.

(In trying to demonstrate the movement in the bushes the pics are a bit blurred... Sorry!)

We rectify the problem by re-making and fitting new bushes that actually fit the aluminium casing which has been worn away by the old bronze bushes.

Bronze Bush 1

Bronze Bush 2

Bronze Bush 3

Ducks in the alleyway

Last year this mother duck had 15 chicks this year she has 3. They were in the alley when I arrived at work this morning  being harassed by a cat. I chased off the cat so the ducks could continue on their way.

A group of us last year had the idea that we could rescue this little family and move the duck with her chicks to a pond. We caught the chicks and put them in a box but were unable to catch the mother. The chicks were going frantic in the box so we decided put them all back on top of the bus depot roof where they had come from.  However the mother duck pushed them one by one back down the inside of the drainpipe and waddled off with them onto the Goldhawk Road.

This morning after seeing the cat stalk the family of ducks I knew all I could do was keep the cat away and let the ducks waddle their way onto the Goldhawk road.

Keith's Model D Restoration

Keith had started restoring his Model D when after having trouble fitting the bodywork and tank, he decided to bring her into Scooter Surgery for our opinion.

After a thorough inspection we advised Keith that his D needed a complete engine rebuild - due to having been very poorly assembled in the past. Resulting in worn bearings, crank big end rattles, woodruff key slot is worn, shims are missing, clutch is worn, bevel gear is loose, oil seals are hard... the list goes on.

Keith's Lammie (already painted)

                                
                                 

Engine gets removed

                                  

Engine components

                               

Engine still attached to the frame

                              

Petrol tank

                             

                               


















































































Our next post highlights a frequent problem with D and LD gear boxes.

Restoration?

If you're about to start a Lambretta resto you could come and talk to us at the following Events.

Camber Sands - 29th June
The BATS scooter rally - 20th July
Sunday Best - 21st July
Isle Of Wight - 24th/26th August
Mersea Island - 30th/31st August

The true meaning of a Restoration

We are often asked what is involved in the full restoration of a Lambretta... so we thought we'd show you the process here at Scooter Surgery.  As the work progresses (including the engine rebuild) we'll post more pictures.  Enjoy. 

J Range - stripped and ready for her new identity.

Engine casing ready for vapourising.

Engine all bagged for easy identification on reassembly.

Body ready for acid dipping and painting.

J Range ready for repair, stripping and repaint.

Thank you Paul

Paul Blake reviewed in the last week

Quality Excellent

"Fantastic little haven for the Lambretta Enthusiast. They might even touch your Vespa if your very nice!"

Well folks what do you make of this? praise indeed.  Thank you Paul.

Where does he put the two-stroke?

Nick rode to Scooter Surgery last Saturday on his new set of wheels on a flaming hot June day -  don't they good they look together?

But where does he put his two stroke?

Motorway Nightmare No1

Oh dear, clutches burn out on the best of us!

Mike's Li with no name

A very excited Mike collected his restored Li175 today. Not every scooter has a name... in our experience it doesn't mean they're any less treasured!

Chris with Little Flirt

Here is 'Little Flirt' with her proud owner Chris. What a handsome pair.

How to tell your LC from your LD (part 1)

Matthew has owned this beautiful LC for some years, he contacted us recently about getting her running properly again... There's several ways to tell a LC from a LD - here's two of them:

· The LC tool holder is narrower at the back end than the front (the LD tool holder is smaller overall).

· The LC rear suspension is a knuckle joint that 'rocks'.

Matthew's LC 

The LC tool holder is narrow at the back end

...and wider at the front.

The LC rear suspension is a knuckle joint that rocks

5 Speed... Indeed!

This is Darren’s engine, another monster! Well on the way to a complete rebuild - including a new 'Cyclone 5' gear box.

And the bodywork ready for the painters.

Rusty's gone 'ome

"Will she Fly?"

"Mmmm perhaps not, but she's got wings"

Confident Patrick sips his tea - John's hesitent

We have lift off! Pat' finishes his tea and lights a cigar...

Lovely Rusty, the brave little LD125  - gets her wheels in a spin and a new lease of life.